My Journal #2

Job Instructions

Your younger self is about to be offered your first job. What would you tell yourself knowing what you know now?


This is a hard question. There are many things I'd like to do over yet as I look back, I learned so much from the mistakes I made. Given the era, if I could have, I might have buckled down and did better at school. I had no self-confidence so the thought of going to college even if I could have afforded it was out of the question. What would I do with a college education? what would I be? I still have no idea what I would have chosen for a major.  Life was grey, with marriage and children as the only goal I was told I was good for....

I'm terrible at math. I think I would have gained more confidence if I would have had a mentor that guided me to see where my strengths were. To really show me I was a person with abilities worth developing. That never happened.
As I said in my Red Carpet blog, it wasn't until then that I felt I had the ability as a writer to "BE SOMEONE." I'm willing to work at marketing my book when its published, but all the things I learned over the years has made me what I am so I can't fault that. I often wonder what I might have been if I would have taken a different course.  I'd not had my two wonderful kids, but there might have been others.

I my advice to my younger self, if I were able to go back and stand by her would be don't get married so quick. Step back. Is this what you really want or is it the despiration talking?  I would have sat her down and said let's look at your options. Take some CC courses in business so you could be something more than a flunky or an assembly worker. 

I had no dreams, no aspirations. There was nothing I got from home or marriage in the way of encouragement to step out and find a job in a good company where I could work my way up the ladder. My sister did data entry and was very good at it. (It was key-hole punching) She and her friend out did all the older ladies at Penny's office and they got mad at these young girls for doing so well and making them look bad.  My other sister is an accountant and very good at her job.

I had no experience in anything like that. Even today my typing is bad and my arthritic finger sticks out and makes things hard. Okay, no excuses, it isn't that bad. I do have terrible skills.  I'm great at customer service and doing cold calling for the business I'm at now. Even that is waining and it looks like the end of this position is near. 

I would be great working at a hotel; setting tables, greeting guests and working in hosptitality. That being said, I don't like working Saturday and Sundays. I have church commitments that I need to be available for evenings also. The Hospitality business is a 24/7 job dedication. They want you when the customer wants you.

I guess I'm no better at doing anything then than I am now.  I'm older, expierenced the world of hard knocks, I have good work habits, but I have my foiables too.

If I could just win the lottery, it doesn't have to be a big one, just big enough to let me retire and work part time. Better yet, be able to travel and write whenever I wanted to. It is my goal to someday be able to go to a writers weekend or some big writers convention. I saw one listed ofr next year in Minneapolis, MN for a weekend. I have my eye on that. My daughter lives there and I can stay with her.  There were some very big names going.  By then my first novel will be out and I can hand out bookmarks and postcards to people.